SARAJEVO, Feb 2 (Hina) - The deadline for the withdrawal of Bosnian parties from those parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which, under the Dayton agreement, should be handed over to the other entity, would expire tomorrow midnight, IFOR
officials in Sarajevo said, adding that all sides were showing readiness to meet their commitments.
SARAJEVO, Feb 2 (Hina) - The deadline for the withdrawal of Bosnian
parties from those parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which, under the
Dayton agreement, should be handed over to the other entity, would
expire tomorrow midnight, IFOR officials in Sarajevo said, adding
that all sides were showing readiness to meet their commitments.
#L#
IFOR spokesman in Sarajevo Simon Haselock today said that the
composition of the police force for Sarajevo suburbs which should
be handed over to the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina still had
not been decided on.
Under the Dayton agreement, the federal authorities could send
their forces to those suburbs already after Sunday, but the IFOR
official said it was not very much possible.
The talks on that question were being held currently under the
mediation of Carl Bildt. The Federal Government had rejected the
possibility to form together with the Serbs a joint police force,
which would be in charge of Sarajevo suburbs. It was expected that
the local Serb authorities would be allowed to keep their own
police force until 19 March.
Meanwhile, IFOR would be in charge of security, while the Serb
policemen would have to behave in line with the peace agreement and
secure full freedom of movement.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was
very satisfied with the removal of last check-points on the
Bratstvo-jedinstvo bridge connecting the city centre with the Serb-
controlled suburb of Grbavica, UNHCR spokesman Chris Janowski told
reporters.
According to Janowski, after the removal of obstacles from the
bridge between the city centre and Grbavica, the number of people
who are willing to remain in Grbavica is growing. However, they
complain that during the last couple of nights they had to lock
themselves in their flats because they feared thieves who were
breaking into flats and stealing all things that were of any value.
UNHCR representatives estimate that the Serb police could have
prevented such thefts, but they are obviously not interested in
doing that.
According to IFOR and UNHCR reports, the transfer of
authorities in other parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina would be carried
out much easier. Spokesman Janowski today announced that as of
Sunday, the Serbs would start returning to Mrkonjic-Grad, Sipovo
and Kljuc (under the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) control). The
Banja Luka authorities had announced that they would send some
40,000 to those towns, Janowski said.
(hina) rm jn
021411 MET feb 96